The use and enjoyment of swimming pools, particularly home or "private" pools, has been greatly enhanced by the availability of a myriad of swimming pool accessories. These include stools, tables, games, ladders, cover props, rails for drop-in steps, and rails for walk-in steps, among others. These accessories usually must be mounted in the pool or to the surrounding deck area, often in an upright fashion. The deck area for an above-ground pool is frequently made of wood installed adjacent to the sides of the pool and typically provides a walkway, a sunbathing area, or seating, for pool users. For in-ground pools, this deck area is often formed of concrete. Pool accessories attached to or positioned on the deck may impede these intended uses of the deck area.
One desirable type of accessory is one that may be mounted in the pool rather than on the deck. In-pool mounting provides an additional degree of flexibility in the design and use of pool accessories. It is important, however, that any in-pool mounting arrangement permit the accessory to be easily removed from the pool to facilitate lap swimming and general pool housekeeping. It is also important for user convenience that an in-pool accessory be easy to install. The mounting arrangement, whether in the pool or on the deck area, should provide good lateral stability for the accessory without cluttering the pool or its adjacent deck surface.
Mounting a swimming pool accessory is especially difficult for a pool of the type having a vinyl liner. Penetrating the vinyl liner is typically desirably minimized or avoided, for any resulting openings may lead to leaks if associated fixtures are not properly designed and installed. In addition, designs for vinyl liner fixtures need to take into account that vinyl liners may often be changed as frequently as every five years during the life of a pool. Accordingly, any fixture must be configured such that access to the area behind the liner is not required to secure the new liner to the fixture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,732 to Englehart discloses an anchoring device to be secured to the steel wall of a vinyl lined pool such that the vinyl liner may be changed without disrupting the decking or concrete to gain access to the device.
The art has developed several ways to position and install supporting fixtures and accessories for use with vinyl-lined pools without requiring penetration of the vinyl liner. For example, a basketball goal or volleyball net accessory may be positioned on the deck outside the pool by filling a large reservoir at the base of the accessory with water or sand. The filled reservoir provides a degree of stability to the accessory, yet it is inconvenient to move the accessory with the heavy reservoir, or without first emptying the reservoir before moving the accessory.
Tables for use in pools are available that attach to the bottom of the pool with a suction cup device. However, the suction cup anchor may be difficult to engage and disengage and the pool accessory may also lack lateral stability. Pools are often covered, when not in use, to reduce contamination of the water by insects, dirt, and falling leaves. The table with a suction cup anchor may be left in the pool to function as the prop to prevent an overlying pool cover from sagging at its center. In addition to the suction cup table functioning as a cover prop, free floating air-filled "pillows" are known in the art to raise the center portion of a pool cover to form a pyramid that promotes drainage and prevents the unwanted accumulation of dirt or snow on the cover.
The art has also developed handrails for walk-in steps that attach only at the pool deck, yet extend for several feet out over the pool. The handrail is typically a looped metal tube secured at two adjacent positions at the pool deck. This type of handrail, especially at the point farthest from the attaching positions, does not provide a sturdy arrangement for supporting pool users.
Drop-in pool step ladders have been attached at their upper end to the deck and rest, at their lower end, against the sidewall of the liner. Pool users can ascend or descend the steps to use the pool and the drop-in ladder may be removed for pool maintenance. Unfortunately, the area where the lower end of the drop-in ladder contacts the liner is subject to wear caused by movement of the ladder from the weight of swimmers using the ladder.
In concrete pools, many accessories, such as stools and tables, are often permanently mounted or formed in the concrete itself. These permanently mounted or formed-in accessories present impediments to lap swimming and general housekeeping of the pool. These permanently mounted structures also present surfaces upon which algae may grow and which may be difficult to clean. Any mounting support on the deck may cause difficulty when covering a pool and may also cause damage to the pool cover caused by abrasion from the support.
There thus exists a need to provide a mounting support in the bottom of a pool, especially a vinyl-lined pool, that provides a sturdy support for a swimming pool accessory and yet allows the accessory to be easily engaged and disengaged from the mounting support. Easy removal of the pool accessory will facilitate lap swimming and general pool housekeeping. The mounting support should also maintain a water tight seal with the vinyl liner, and yet permit periodic replacement of the vinyl liner.